January 1st is a popular time for humanity to reset habits and goals. It’s important for us to align our New Year’s resolutions with the Bible, but for us mommas, we often use this as a time to think about all of the things we want to change about our bodies, our parenting, our marriage. We then take this list of discontents and make goals to fix them. After all, that’s what New Year’s resolutions are all about – bettering ourselves and our situations.

Your list might include some version of the following:

• I want to be healthier so I’ll set a weekly routine where I go to the gym three times a week.
• I want to be skinnier and lose 20 pounds, so I’ll stop eating desserts every day.
• I want to be little more patience with my kids, so I’m going to work on communication.
• I want a more family household income, so I’m going to work towards a promotion or find a new client.

To be clear, there is nothing wrong with setting goals and wanting to better yourself and move your family forward. But as women who are striving to center ourselves around the gospel, we need to tread cautiously. It’s important to know how to align our New Year’s resolutions with the Bible.

• Are your goals aligned with God’s Word?
• Are your motivations coming from a heart focused on things above or set on worldly things?
• Are you focused too much on the one or two areas that YOU think need improvement while ignoring what God is trying to show or teach you?
• What do your New Year’s resolutions directly or indirectly teach your children?

How To Align Your New Year’s Resolutions With The Bible

As you sit down to write your New Year’s Resolutions this year, consider these 6 questions and scriptures to align your goals with God’s Word.

1. Do your New Year’s resolutions give God the glory?

Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory because of your faithful love, because of your truth. 

Psalm 115:1 (CSB)

Everything we do needs to give God glory. Every decision. Every action. Every breath. Can you continue to give God glory while working towards your New Year’s resolution? Will the result of achieving your goals give God glory, or take away from it?

Read “Rejoice in the Lord…Always” for a devotional about giving God glory amidst trials.

2. Does your New Year’s resolution honor your body, a temple of the Holy Spirit?

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)

I’m going to dive a little deeper into this one because us moms tend to put a lot of pressure on ourselves with this particular topic.

If you have a New Year’s resolution that is about your body, whether it’s losing weight or dressing yourself in a new wardrobe, quitting smoking, or dying your hair, is it giving God glory? If you aren’t sure, check your motivation.

For example, the most popular New Year’s resolution is to work out and lose weight. Ask any gym owner and they will tell you that membership spikes January 1 every single year.  For us mommas, losing the baby weight (even if it’s been 5 or 10 years since you had a baby!) is a go-to resolution. But do we want to lose weight because it’s what is healthy for our bodies, because it would make us feel better, or because we are playing the comparison game?

Comparing our bodies against women who haven’t had children doesn’t make sense and sets us up for disappointment. God designed our bodies to create and deliver babies. Our hips widen, our skin stretches, and our breasts swell and shrink (then sag!). It’s not something to be ashamed by, it’s something to celebrate! Our culture may say that young, pre-baby bodies are the ideal. But why would God want us to have bodies that hide signs of the amazing experience he designed especially for us?

Comparing our bodies against other moms isn’t any better. Some moms have stretch marks and some don’t. Some moms lose the baby weight within 6 months and some never do. Some moms have one baby and others have 10. God designed our bodies uniquely and wonderfully (Psalm 139:14)! Our mom bodies tell the story of our experience, our family, our God-directed path. That path isn’t always easy, but it’s ours and God is using it to mold us into his image.

Bottom line: It’s God-honoring to want your body to be healthy. It’s worldly to want our bodies to look a certain way just because someone else says it should. Set resolutions that produce a healthy body and a content heart.  Which may include stretch marks, wrinkles, and rolls!

3. Can you complete your New Year’s resolution and keep God first in your life?

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matthew 6:31-33 (NIV)

It’s good to be diligent about reaching our goals, but nothing should ever take priority over our relationship and obedience to God. Don’t push God to the back burner while you’re working on your New Year’s resolutions. Achieving your New Year’s resolutions will never fulfill you like God will. 

4. Is your New Year’s resolution building eternal value?

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Matthew 6:19-24 (NIV)

Making money isn’t a bad thing. Striving to “store up treasures on earth” instead of treasures in heaven is the issue. Verse 21 is key here. It’s easy to figure out where your heart is – the things you hold most dear point straight to it. Is money (or something that money can buy) taking a hold on your heart? Is your New Year’s Resolution revealing a heart issue or building eternal value in Christ’s kingdom?

Read “Focus on Things Above” for a devotional about keeping a heavenly perspective.

5. Is your New Year’s resolution going to be a source of anxiety for you?

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

If you are going to be worrying about your progress and obsessing over your resolution, it’s not a good goal for you. God calls us to put our anxieties on him, through prayer, so we can have his peace which transcends all understanding. Why would we put anything between us and that kind of peace?

Read “Trusting God to Take Care of the Birds…& Our Kids” for more about worry and anxiety.

6. Have you prayed about your New Year’s resolution?

Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (CSB)

Prayer is God’s way of communicating directly to us. Pray before, during, and after writing your New Year’s Resolutions asking God to reveal to you any issues with your goals. Before tackling them, pray about the best way to work towards them. Ground yourself in prayer. Then get started!

What are your New Year’s resolutions? I’d love for us to share our goals and prayers here for support and accountability!

For more momma encouragement and support, check out the “I’m Exhausted” devotional series.